The ant’s plan is to work everyday at gathering food while the grasshopper relaxes.
Tom is in class again today. This makes five days in a row that he has been here. The last time I saw him in class was more than a month ago.
I wonder if Tom has switched from the “Grasshopper’s approach” to yoga to the “Ant’s Plan”. Only time will tell.
The Ant’s Plan and the Grasshopper’s approach come from the Aesop fable.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content.
An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”
“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.”
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger. It saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
Moral: “It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.”
While this Aesop fable is about putting food by and preparing for the winter it does have application to your yoga practice.
What is the Grasshopper’s approach
In the fable the Grasshopper’s approach is to enjoy life during the summer time and not prepare for the future.
Until recently Tom has been following the Grasshopper’s approach in his yoga practice. He shows up occasionally for a class. Every now and then he will have a sudden burst of enthusiasm a come to class several times a week for a few weeks. After this burst of energy he reverts back to the showing up once every couple of weeks.
Tom comments that he is not getting much benefit from yoga.
If Tom follows the Ant’s Plan he will see more benefit from his yoga practice.
What is the Ant’s Plan
The Ant in Aesop’s fable is labouring all of the time setting food by for the winter. He is preparing for the time when food will be scarce.
The Ant’s Plan as it applies to yoga has nothing to do with gathering food.
Benefits of the Ant’s plan
– more flexible
– less sore
– stronger
– calmer
Coming to class several times a week for months and months is the Ant’s Plan in yoga.
Why is the Ant’s plan better
When you follow the Ant’s plan you will start to see benefits to your mind and body.
You are more flexible
Your flexibility increases when you have a multiple times a week yoga practice over several months. A once in awhile yoga practice has very little impact on your flexibility.
You are less sore
With a frequent yoga practice your muscles start to get used to the stretching and other movements involved in a yoga practice.
When you go to another class within a day or two you are building on the stretching that you did earlier and your muscles will start to adapt.
Your muscles will become used to the additional activity and they will stop complaining.
You are stronger
Exercising your muscles with yoga several times a week over a period of months will gradually build up your strength.
Doing yoga once in awhile will only make your muscles sore and cause Tom to complain about how hard yoga is.
You are calmer
When you are practising yoga you have to pay attention to what you are doing. You focus on your body’s feedback as you are doing a yoga pose. This feedback tells you if you can go further in a yoga pose or if you should back off.
You have no opportunity during a yoga practice to focus on the past or the future. Staying focused on the present moment teaches your mind and body to relax and become calmer.
Focusing your mind as well as learning to breathe during your yoga practice both contribute to a calmer mind.
Summary
Tom’s teacher hopes that he is adopting the Ant’s Plan for his yoga practice. He will see many more benefits from his yoga practice if he does.
Some of his complaints about yoga will go away if he sticks with the Ant’s plan for more than a few weeks.
Next Step
Set a goal for yourself to take a yoga class 3-5 times a week. Set aside the time now and make a date with yourself in your calendar.
Additional Reading
Adopting the Ant’s Plan does not guarantee that your plans will not get disrupted. Read How to keep your daily yoga practice going when the dragons striketo find out you can do when chaos happens.
The article How to develop a daily yoga practice teaches you how to get started with a daily yoga practice.
Having a practice buddy will help you to stick with the Ant’s Plan. This article How to pick a practice buddy and reach your yoga goal helps you to find a good practice buddy.
Another Aesop fable that applies to your daily yoga practice is Why you should not be the Tortoise to succeed at yoga
